Chronos
by Shaun Garin
Summary: [Fusion Chrno Crusade Altraverse] A scattered dream that's like a far off memory... My door is still shut. Can you open it?


Chronos

Written by Shaun Garin

Edited by Akino Ame

Chrno Crusade is owned by Daisuke Moriyama and Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

_Believe…_

* * *

"The things I do," muttered Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage as he closed the door on the angry mob that was slowly and reluctantly dispersing. Heaving a great sigh and feeling all of his fifty-seven years of age, he walked into the next room where two ninja were waiting for him; Hyuuga Hizashi and Hatake Kakashi.

Hizashi was of the Branch Family, the twin brother of Hyuuga Hiashi. He had fought against the Kyuubi in the battles scant hours ago but was pulled back quickly because he was of no use against a foe so large and unpredictably strong and his style of fighting involved extreme close ranges that would be deadly to anyone. The second was barely out of his teenaged years, Hatake Kakashi. With the death of the Yondaime Hokage, Kazama Arashi, Kakashi was without the rest of the legendary Team Seven. His best friend Uchiha Obito had died one year ago, and Narutaki Rin had died against the Kyuubi, just as Arashi had.

"I'm sorry to call you two here on such short notice," said Sandaime, his voice rough and worn with age and emotion. "I am sorry for your losses."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," said Hizashi, ever polite. Kakashi nodded, though Sandaime could tell that he was fighting desperately to keep his emotions in check. Between the two men, Kakashi had lost everything this terrible night upon the stroke of the Kyuubi's end while Hizashi still had a family to go home to. "What is it that you need from us so desperately?"

"This," said Sarutobi, sweeping the blanket off the covered basket. Kakashi flinched and Hizashi gasped. "Yes I told the mob that he was dead, that the Fourth's Legacy was dead from the sealing and took the demon with it."

"But why?" asked Hizashi, struggling to keep his emotions from rising up. "Why did you protect this child?"

"The child is not the demon, rather the JAILER of the Kyuubi. Forever bound till death to keep the monster contained and free our lands from its evil," intoned Sarutobi. "Even then, vessels of demons as strong as the tailed beasts could live unnaturally long lives."

Kakashi leaned forward and took off his ANBU mask. His eye, the one exposed glittered as he reached down and gently traced a finger over the slash marks on the baby's face. "So he used THAT Jutsu," murmured Kakashi. "The Jutsu that will call the Death God, and imprison a demon such as the Kyuubi into a newborn child."

"I have heard of this Jutsu," added Hizashi, amazed that Arashi had used such a powerful technique. No wonder the Yondaime was dead. "And if I'm correct, a demon such as this must be contained within a baby whose umbilical cord has yet to be severed, am I correct?"

"Within the hour, yes," said Sarutobi. "The mother died in childbirth, the father was a civilian who left the village and was kiled by the Kyuubi along the way here. Uzumaki Madoka I believe her name was. But there are no Uzumaki's anymore and they were simple people here, barely new and settled in before this happened."

"She must have loved this village enough to offer her own son," said Kakashi.

"Indeed," said Sarutobi, "which brings us to my request. Kakashi, you possess the Sharingan and Hizashi, you the Byakugan. What I wish for you two is to devise an advanced Henge that will fool both and give a solid form that will age. Is that possible?"

"Yes it is, Hokage-sama," said Hizashi. "But what sort of Henge will we create? And why?"

"Arashi wished for the child to grow up as a hero, but people fear the Kyuubi still and with the strength of a ninja or many ninja behind it, the child will easily be killed out of hatred. I wish for you to alter his appearance to a girl. Keep the blue eyes and blonde hair, but I wish for you to craft it into an everlasting seal on an inconspicuous part of the body. And hiding the marks of the Kyuubi on his cheeks will be good too."

Kakashi did a double-take. "A girl?" he echoed. "And a Henge like that will consume vast amounts of chakra! We would have to renew the power of the seal every week to maintain such an illusion!"

"Never the less, I have it all planned out," said Sarutobi. "Please hurry, our visitor will be here soon."

Hizashi and Kakashi shared a glance before the men set to work quickly, scribbling down notes on a scroll. In record time and due to taking from Sarutobi's confiscated notes on Orochimaru's work, they had devised a seal that they applied onto the back of the baby's neck. The baby shifted but otherwise did not awaken and Kakashi pushed the first portion of chakra into the seal.

The seal that was made to look in the character of Chrono, flickered briefly and sure enough, when Kakashi turned the boy onto his stomach, the transformation was flawless.

"I cannot tell the difference," murmured Hizashi in amazement. "Orochimaru really knew what he was doing."

"Yes," said Kakashi as three sharp raps on the door made Sarutobi look up and get out of his chair to answer the door. Kakashi placed the blanket over the basket in case it was a disgruntled villager and Sarutobi answered it.

Behind the door was a young man, no, maybe as young as Kakashi was or perhaps a little older. Intelligent eyes stared out from under the hat and Kakashi recognised the person immediately. "Father Remington," he said respectfully.

Remington nodded politely. "Hokage-sama, Kakashi-san, Hyuuga-san."

Remington was not his real name of course. It was the name the tall blonde young man took when he was inducted into a most ancient order, the Order of Magdalene; a group of religious people who had emigrated from the Eastern Lands several hundred years before and during the time of the formation of Konohagakure. The Order found sanctuary in the newly formed village and while people did not visit often, it was still a very powerful voice in the Hidden Village. The Order tended to christen a new member with a name in the Eastern Tradition before the great upheaval that split the continents in two. Father Ewan Remington was also known as Hino Daichi to his friends and those who knew him outside the Order.

The Order however was one of the more secretive groups. For the most part, they were a church, dedicated to helping people and running the Orphanage. And then there was the part that only ANBU members, the current Hokage and now Hyuuga Hizashi would know till the events of today; they were a group of exorcists, dedicated to keeping the peace within the realm of the supernatural.

One would be a fool to state that there were no demons or monsters out there, but many knew better. While the majority of them did not cause trouble openly, there were the few rogues who tended to disregard caution and attack. The Order was small, but each one of the people who lived there were superb exorcists and they too had been called out to battle the Kyuubi.

It took up much of the resources of the Order to slow its progress before the Yondaime had sealed it away, and as a result the Order would be recovering losses for several years as the lost technology was slow and hard to duplicate at best.

"Is this the child?" asked Remington softly, pulling the blanket away. "It is a very interesting use of chakra, Kakashi-san, Hyuuga-san."

"We did our best," said Hizashi softly. "One of us will have to visit every week to maintain the illusion until the child will learn how to maintain it herself."

"What's the child's name?" asked Remington. To this, Sarutobi smiled softly.

"His mother, Uzumaki Madoka named him Uzumaki Naruto. I suppose you will wish to give her a new name?"

"It would be best," said Remington with a smile. "Let's see… what about Naru Christopher? Yes, Sister Naru Christopher will do nicely."

* * *

"Naru? Naru!" Sister Kate Valentine put her hands on her hips, huffing as she did so. "Honestly, she's such a troublemaker. NARU!"

High above in the trees that grew over the small Eastern-styled church, a young girl dozed lightly in its branches. Not overly short but not overly tall, she was of medium height. Dressed in a white and blue habit-styled dress, her shoulders were puffed out with cross ornamentation on either sleeve of the short-sleeved dress and she wore bandages that wound up her hands to her elbows and surprisingly enough, open toed ninja sandals. The blue and white headpiece that accompanied the outfit was removed, lying on her lap as long blonde hair fell around her face in messy spikes from remaining under such a garment for so long. Her mouth was open and a thin strand of drool could be seen trailing down her cheek. The overall effect of the completely at peace expression and the wild assortment of clothing said that she was comfortable where she slept.

Down below, a trio of kids watched the young girl sleep soundly and the leader, a short black haired kid in an outlandish outfit that included goggles and a hat and cape, folded his arms. "Leader's asleep again," he remarked.

"Isn't she going to fall, Konohamaru?" asked the other boy in the group, a glasses wearing kid with snot threatening to escape his nose due to allergies.

"Leader won't fall Udon," grinned the only girl in a group, a girl with dirty blonde hair tied in twinned tails that fanned out on either side of her head. "Right, Konohamaru-kun?"

"Right Moegi!" agreed Konohamaru. "Let's go wake up Leader!"

The first rock bounced against the tree. The second rock smacked an exposed part of Naru's skin and she twitched a little. The third rock bounced against the girls head and Naru jerked awake in shock as she suddenly lost her balance.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" exclaimed Naru, falling but in a last ditch effort, wrapped her legs around the tree branch and was immediately mortified as her dress fell over her head, exposing her underwear to the world. Granted it was a pair of long puffy bloomers but it was the principal of the thing as Naru righted herself amidst snickering from the Konohamaru Corps. Then, swinging her body up, she grabbed a hold of the tree branch and shimmied down the trunk. "You brats, you nearly made me fall!"

"Leader, you have excellent balance," reprimanded Konohamaru. "Come on, you promised you would play ninja with us today! There's no school since the teams are taking their graduation exams today!"

Naru blew a lock of hair away from her face irritably before she replaced her hood. "All right you kids, but not for long. Sister Kate'll have my ass if I skip more chores."

"Yay!" cheered the Corps as they ran off with Naru following them. Remington watched them leave from the door of the church and sighed.

"Kids will be kids," he said, rolling his eyes in amusement.

* * *

"Geez how much energy do you kids have anyhow?" asked Naru, folding her arms as the Konohamaru Corps were all tired, sitting down on the flagstones around the bridge that crossed the river. "I'm not tired and we've been playing for hours!"

"Leader, you have unnatural stamina," panted Moegi as she sighed heavily.

"That's right," chimed in Udon sniffing as his nose threatened to drip. "Why didn't you enter the ninja academy?"

"Meh, I'm not really into that," said Naru, waving a hand dismissively. "It takes as much effort to fire a gun as it is to use Jutsu. The only things I learned from Kakashi were water walking and tree climbing when I was little as well as those freaky-high jumps from Hizashi before he died."

"But you would be a great ninja, Leader!" protested Konohamaru. "I'd bet Iruka-sensei would pass you immediately!"

Naru knelt down, reached out and flicked Konohamaru on the forehead. "Ba-ka," she reprimanded gently. "I have too much to do and let's face it; I'm a SISTER. That means that I'm not supposed to be a tool or a necessary evil, okay?"

"I guess so, but a ninja is so much more than a tool," said Konohamaru. "A ninja is a symbol of power, but he or she is also a hero in his own right."

Naru smiled and ruffled Konohamaru's hair. "I guess if you look at it that way."

As the kids chatted amidst themselves, Naru got up and stretched out, feeling the warm breeze wash over herself. "Feels good," she murmured before noticing a dark haired girl with white eyes walking towards her. "Oi, Hinata!" she cheered.

Hyuuga Hinata looked up and a faint blush stained her cheeks as she waved back. "Good morning Sister Naru."

"Maa," said Naru, walking over and clapping the timid girl on the shoulder. "Hinata, we've been friends for years now. Why do you insist on calling me Sister Naru all the time? Just Naru is fine, ya know?"

Hinata colored and poked two fingers together. "I'm sorry it's a force of habit."

"Oh?" said Naru, smiling. "No worries. Hey I see you got your headband. Great job Hi-na-ta."

Hinata blushed again, this time in joy. There was something about Sister Naru that made her feel all warm inside and any comment made the girl blush terribly. "Thank you," said Hinata. "We're having a test tomorrow morning at nine in the morning. It's to see if we can continue being Genin."

"Ah, that test," said Naru, nodding. "Who'd you get for you Jounin-sensei?"

"Yuuhi Kurenai," replied Hinata.

"Glad to hear it and that you didn't get Kakashi," said Naru, grinning. "I pity the poor fools who got onto his team. I doubt they'll make it past the elimination test. Who were the unlucky sods who got onto Team Seven?"

"Er, Haruno Sakura, Ichimaru Shun and Uchiha Sasuke," said Hinata. "Sakura-san is top academically in book smarts, Sasuke-san is the years number one rookie like Neji-oniisan was and Shun-san is somewhere near the bottom of the class with below-average Taijutsu and Ninjutsu and slightly above average Genjutsu."

"Mmm," said Naru, nodding. "If I know Kakashi-baka he'll be putting them through the famous Team Seven Bell Test." At Hinata's questioning look, she elaborated. "Since the beginning of Team Seven, Sarutobi-jiichan implemented a test that is designed to test teamwork since the primary function of Team Seven has typically been a teamwork-based front line combat group. There are two bells and the Jounin instructor will state that to pass, you must get a bell and the third that doesn't will be tied to a log and then sent back to the academy."

"I see," said Hinata, realizing what it meant. "Teamwork is essential in Team Seven and with only two bells; it causes dissidence in the team."

"Exactly and with Kakashi probably telling them not to eat before coming will probably cause irrational thought as well," laughed Naru. "Like I said, I pity 'em but that Sasuke is going to slow 'em down."

"Why do you mean that?" asked Hinata. "Sasuke-san is the number one rookie of the year."

"It's widely known that he's obsessive to a fault despite people labelling him as a genius type and with Itachi messing with his mind, there's a good chance that he'll be screwed up prematurely." Naru sighed and shrugged dramatically. "I don't pretend to know what's on his mind but I'm certain it doesn't involve teamwork at all."

Hinata had to admit he had a point. Sasuke never focused on anything in class except it was on the subject of Ninjutsu, Taijutsu or advanced Genjutsu. Other than that, his performance academically could even be considered sub-par if it were not for the many teachers doting on him and calling him a genius. Even Shikamaru, lazy as he was put a little effort into working. If it didn't involve a technique to harm or severely maim someone, Sasuke ignored it.

Naru looked over at the Konohamaru Corps who were listening in and called out, "Hey kids! I'll see you tonight okay? Ichiraku Ramen at eight; I'll pay for it."

"Yay! Thanks Leader you're the best!" cheered the kids in tandem and they scurried off, presumably to find some more mischief to perform before the day was through.

"So Hinata, when is your test?" asked Naru. "Tomorrow at nine right?"

"Yes, Training Ground Ten." said Hinata. "Are you coming to watch?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Naru grinning widely. "Who is on your team?"

"Ah, that would be Aburame Shino-san and Inuzuka Kiba-san," said Hinata.

"Great! I gotta get going Hinata, I think Sister Kate is about ready to grind me into the next Gospel if I don't get going on my chores. See ya!" With that, Naru dashed off as fast as possible and Hinata watched her go, a light blush staining her features before she headed home as well.

* * *

As predicted accurately, Sister Kate had a few scathing words for the girl before assigning her to the amount of chores she had forgone throughout the day. Shoving the mop back and forth across the hardwood floor in an irritated motion, Naru sighed heavily and muttered, "Stupid old bat can't even let me have a day of fun."

"She doesn't do it to annoy you," said Father Remington from the side of the hallway. Naru fought the urge to jump at his voice as he pushed off the wall and smiled at the girl. "Give her time. She's still upset at the last time you ditched work."

"There's plenty of Sisters here at the order and you," said Naru, jabbing a finger into Remington's chest. "you don't even help! Neither do any of the Ministers for that matter! The only person I've seen actually DO any physical work here is Elder and he's a dirty old man! Are we Sisters supposed to be your servants or something?"

Remington chuckled and patted her head. Naru grumbled but relaxed. The argument was one with a long history and neither of them truly meant what they said to each other as of late despite scathing words. "Here, I'll finish up."

"Huh?" said Naru as Remington took the mop. "But Sister Kate'll…"

"Let me worry about Sister Kate for once," said Remington as he expertly cleaned up the hallway. "You need to head back to your room and prepare for tonight. You have to renew the seal before heading out to meet young Konohamaru and his friends."

"Oh, that's right!" exclaimed Naru. "Thank's Father Remington!"

Dashing off and around the corner, Remington chuckled as he washed up the rest of the floor, only pausing when Sister Kate gave him a look, having been around the corner during the exchange. "I know I'm soft on her but she has her reasons to be like this."

Sister Kate sighed heavily before she said, "I just wish that she wasn't so… masculine at times. It frightens me to think that someone will realize who she truly is."

"Yes, but that's for later to decide," said Remington. "For now, let her enjoy her life like she was supposed to."

* * *

Naru was unique in the respect that she had her own room with adjoining bath, something that most of the Sisters didn't have, since the dormitory sported communal bathing areas. But then again, her problem was different than most people.

As a little girl growing up, Naru never knew why she had to hide her true nature until Sarutobi-jiisan had told her one night when she was six. About the attack six years previous and what he did to protect her. Since then, Naru faithfully obeyed his requests and hid her true gender.

Sliding down the dress, slip and bloomers and looking at her reflection in the tall mirror, Naru stared at her naked body for a long few minutes as she observed the form in the mirror. "I think they actually got bigger," said Naru to herself as she pulled her hair up from the nape of her neck and turned around partially to look at the seal that adorned her neck. It was a small seal; barely half the size of a Ryo and the seal read "Chrono," which meant "Time" in the language of the Eastern countries. It was what kept Naru from interacting with the girls in the dorm despite her mostly feminine self-conscious although she had no problem in the communal bathing areas.

Making several seals and feeling chakra pulse through her body like a hidden tsunami, the seal glowed for a few seconds before turning a bright pink color and then fading into her neck once more. The seal, when it was time for a renewal, turned a deep blue against her skin. Since she was a child, Kakashi or Hizashi before he died came to renew the seal once a week. She learned how to do it and learned a few ninja tricks in mostly chakra control.

The reason for her lousy control was mostly due to the demon's unparalleled chakra swimming in her own system at times, interacting with the blue chakra that pulsed under her skin. To counter this, Naru kept a constant flow of chakra to her hands and feet, allowing her to walk on any surface or cling to any wall depending on how slick or hard it was to grab. But the seal itself on her neck provided a special function, and that was to hide her gender from the world. Without the control that her friends had taught her, the chances of the seal being disrupted by a surge of uncontrolled chakra was high.

For a very brief moment, six slash marks, three on each side of her face flickered in and out before her face resumed its normal appearance. Then, making sure that the seal was in place, she picked up her dress and begun to clothe herself. It was almost eight and the Corps would be waiting for her at the Ichiraku Ramen store.

Replacing her habit and tucking her blonde hair under it, Naru picked up her cross and holstered it at her side where it usually hung; tucked a little under her shirt and to the left for easy reach. Father Remington taught her the art of swordplay with a blade that for all intents and purposes, weighed next to nothing. A sword formed out of pure spiritual energy a.k.a. chakra was a Minister's weapon, being that the male half of the Order was mostly geared towards hand to hand combat. But it was also effective in this day and age considering the amount of fights that were against possessed ninja or a mad summoner and it did not deplete the limited amount of bullets, spiritual or otherwise. Remington had been surprised that Naru asked for a cross-sword but otherwise taught her how to fight with one.

Slipping out her window so that Sister Kate would not get angry at her for walking out the front door past the strict curfew of eight pm, Naru dropped to the ground silently and made her way into the shopping district of Konohagakure.

As usual, it was filled with men and women both ninja and civilian in the aftermath of a long day at work. Some Jounin walked by, unwashed and looking like they had gone through a long drawn-out fight as attested to the few blood stains on their clothing. A couple of off-duty ANBU were sharing a drink and it always amazed Naru on how fast they could move when drinking without removing their masks. To the left, Naru could hear the badly butchered lyrics of a popular song from the karaoke bar and she winced as she knew the owner of the voice, one Maito Gai. Obviously he was doing something that he claimed "brought back the springtime of youth" or some crap like that.

Turning the corner, she moved past vendors and several kids who were still out, past the family restaurant that had many new Genin celebrating with their families and pushed into Ichiraku Ramen. The owner Teuchi was a good friend and his daughter Ayame as well. Naru loved ramen for one reason or another but mostly because there were so many types of it. She didn't get it much in the Order, centering on a more well-balanced meal during the day. It was one of Naru's vices and Teuchi usually got quite a lot of bowls through the girl or some of her friends.

"Leader, you came!" exclaimed Konohamaru as he raised his chopsticks in salute. Konohamaru and Naru had been friends for a long time since Naru was constantly at Sarutobi's house for dinner or idle chit-chat. When the old man wasn't being mysterious or an old perverted fart, he was excellent company. Naru had been relaxing at his place when she was seven and a five-year-old Konohamaru had rushed in with a dull kunai screaming "FIGHT ME, OLD MAN!" The end result had been Naru stepping on his head, holding him down on the floor. Since then, the pair had been friends and with Konohamaru's entry into the Academy, he had formed the Konohamaru Corps with Naru as the semi-unwilling leader.

"Aaah, you brats had better have paid for those before I got here!" exclaimed Naru as she pointed at the stack of used bowls on the counter.

Teuchi chuckled as Naru sat down and he served up an already prepared miso ramen. "Naru-chan I see you're treating them tonight."

"I wouldn't if I wasn't feeling so good today," grumbled Naru, slurping up the noodles. "Just how many did they eat anyhow?"

Teuchi roared in laughter and Naru's face fell as she quickly realized that she had been had by Teuchi of all people. The stacked used ramen bowls were quickly whisked away by Ayame who sported a smile of amusement. Naru resolved to clonk them all on the head for the joke later. For now though, there was ramen to be eaten.

"I heard the latest crop of Genin graduated today," said Teuchi conversationally as he served up another steaming bowl to Udon and then a plate of dango to Moegi. Udon came from a civilian family but he had a large appetite for such a little guy. Moegi was part of the Akimichi family and she typically ate a lot. Although the female side of the family was surprisingly thinner than the majority of the males but that was due to a different application of weight and metabolic energy conversion in battle. Konohamaru always ate a lot and Naru tended to nearly deplete his stocks of flour at times. "Any idea which Jounin has which team?"

"Chouji-niisan is part of Team Ten," said Moegi, nibbling at her dango and sipping juice, "along with Shika-nii and Ino-nee."

"The only other ones we know of is Kakashi's soon-to-be-doomed Team Seven and Team Ten which has Hinata, Shino and Kiba," finished Konohamaru. Like Naru, he had grown up around the young Jounin through association and knew fully that Team Seven had a track record of being failed by every single Jounin-sensei prior. The only ones that had been successfully passed in the history of Team Seven had been the team that Sarutobi-sensei had first been a part of with his teammates of Maede Ema and Hiroshi Karakura and then Sarutobi's own legendary Team Seven which produced the Sannin; the Three Ninja. The legendary three no less and the kids assembled at the stand knew them well. Two of them however, knew at least one personally.

Naru and Konohamaru had the unfortunate experience to encounter Narusegawa Jiraiya, the famous Toad ninja in a very odd fashion that involved hot springs in the public baths, a naked Naru and a subsequent beating that rendered Jiraiya as something of a friend. The other two were of course the Slug and Snake ninja, Minagi Tsunade granddaughter of the First, and Kiyohime Orochimaru the famous S-Class traitor.

Jiraiya was to say the least surprised that Naru was in the Order, having thought that she would have been in the Ninja Academy. His familiarity with the girl however sometimes unnerved Naru at best as he never really said outright that he knew exactly who Naru was beneath the incredible use of Henge. But leaving it at that, he also left instructions on how to learn a specific Jutsu; the Rasengan.

The Rasengan, despite its simple appearance was deceptively complex at best. It took the Yondaime years to develop the technique and more to master the wind-based chakra ball. The overall effect of it however was a shredding effect, twisting and damaging things as it hit. Why Jiraiya said he wanted Naru to have the technique the old man never fully explained. Of course he asked for Naru to flash him for payment but she immediately introduced her Order-issued boots to his backside.

"Naru? Naru! Leader, you're drifting off," scolded Konohamaru as he snapped fingers in front of Naru's blank expression.

The girl blinked rapidly before chuckling. "Sorry, I was lost in a train of thought. Somewhere it went from teams to Pervert-Man Jiraiya and then Rasengan."

"Oh yeah," said Moegi, looking very interested in the technique. Being part of the Akimichi, she had a history of listening to tales of near-unattainable Jutsu via normal methods. The only thing that came remotely close to a near-unattainable Jutsu that she was familiar with was Kakashi's Chidori, which he only pulled out when he wanted a sharp but flashy end to the fight. "Have you learned it?"

Naru shook her head as she held up a hand and started flexing the other around it to stir up the chakra that she sent spinning into her hands. "I've only had time to learn the first part of it, the whole chaotic whirlwind effect and even then I haven't figured out how to make it splash outwards chaotically without using my other hand. It takes a bit of time to form it while twitching the hand creating it."

"You're lucky," said Konohamaru with the same envious expression that he had when Naru had first shown him the scroll. "I can't believe Pervert-Man Jiraiya gave you the only written instructions to Rasengan. The Yondaime worked so hard at it and here he gives it away like that. Next you'll know he'll give you the Yondaime's Shinshiten no Jutsu too."

"The old fart works in mysterious ways," said Naru with a slight grin. "I guess it comes with age since Saru-jiisan likes to do it too."

"True enough," snorted Konohamaru. "Talking with grandpa is like waltzing through a mine field at times. It's easier looking for Asuma-oniichan and getting some stories out of him instead."

Sarutobi Asuma was the son of the Sandaime and while an excellent ninja, he was also lazy, as denoting his status as teacher for the new Ino-Shika-Chou team that could potentially self-destruct from sheer laziness and lack of cohesive teamwork. Asuma's sister was the one who gave birth to Konohamaru and while Asuma was technically Konohamaru's uncle, he insisted on being called "big brother". Asuma claimed that it made him feel older than he needed to be. His sister Asuna merely drove a fist into his head all the time whenever he was being an idiot.

After ringing up the bill and giving Naru a minor fit when she discovered the immense drain on her wallet, the girl was walking the Corps home. Most people usually didn't like their children out late after eight or nine much less eleven, but Naru had been part of their lives for far too long to become much of a concern. After dropping off Udon at his parents home and Moegi at the Akimichis', Naru saw Konohamaru to the Sarutobi residence.

At the door, Konohamaru gave the girl a quick hug and Naru chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Keep out of trouble," she said. "And when I mean keep out of trouble I also mean get into as much as possible. Okay?"

Konohamaru smiled a wide sunny smile and said, "Okay!" before dashing into the house. Chuckling to herself, Naru headed home and prepared herself mentally for the tongue-lashing that Sister Kate would inflict on her upon her return.

* * *

The next morning, Sister Kate fell on her backside as she slipped on the newly waxed and washed floors. Crawling back onto her feet, she looked over the long hallways of the compound and her eyebrows shot up to her hairline in surprise. "Who did this?" she wondered to herself.

"Sister Kate," called out one of the young Sisters from the hallway. Sister Maria she remembered, accompanied by Sister Miriam and Sister Nina. "Do you know who did this? Our dorm rooms are all clean, the floors washed and the chores done."

"I… have no idea," stated Sister Kate, clutching the walls in order to keep from slipping. "Girls go and fetch some sandals with a little grip before you head out for the day."

"Sister Kate!" called out an aged masculine voice as the Elder walked into view. Unsurprisingly, he was carrying a large bag around his back. "There's a letter for you!"

"HEY!" exclaimed Sister Miriam angrily, pointing at the Elder. "Get out of here, Elder, and stop stealing our underwear!"

Amidst a hail of thrown objects, the Elder threw the note towards Sister Kate and dashed down the hallway with a cry of "Wear something sexier!"

The note thudding into Kate's hands, she popped the seal and opened it up. The inside was simple and scrawled in Naru's terrible handwriting.

_Sister Kate, I'm taking the day off to spend with my friends from the Ninja Academy. I know you'll probably be screaming at me by the time I return home, so in exchange I got up at three and cleaned the entire Order compound. Don't mess up my floors! Naru._

Kate palmed her face as she stumbled carefully to the end of the hallway to get to the door. At least Naru had been thorough.

Several miles away from the Order, Naru sat on a log with a clear view of Training Ground Ten as she watched Team Eight undergo their exam. Yuuhi Kurenai was a new Jounin and this was her first major teaching assignment. From what Naru knew of her, she was a Genjutsu specialist but was of the type that stood to the back and let others protect her while she worked her magic from the back line. She wasn't like say Mitarashi Anko who could perform Genjutsu on the fly.

Yuuhi Kurenai also had been on the same Genin team as Kiba's sister, Inuzuka Hana and it made the pair a deadly force with their third member Aburame Sakurako. One of the very few all-girl teams to date, the trio of Kunoichi were no less very effective at what they did. Naru encountered the three when she was eight and since then, maintained relationships with the three which brought her in closer to friendship with Kiba and Shino, their younger brothers. Out of the three however, Kurenai had made Jounin first.

The test seemed remarkably simple; get from point A to point B. But the way Kurenai set everything up tested their individual strengths and exploited weaknesses to the hilt. For instance, everything that came at Hinata was precisely calculated so that it came at one of the near-impossible exploited blank areas in the Byakugan. Shino, on the other hand, was inflicted with a series of Genjutsu and obstacles that would provide a challenge for a bug to get through and considering Kurenai's history with working alongside Sakurako, it was played to the hilt. Kiba on the other hand was locked in a simple loop Genjutsu and the boy was cursing up a storm as he charged blindly through the obstacles, both real and illusionary.

Naru was having the time of her life as she giggled madly, chewing on a bento she put together. It was almost noon and her stomach was reminding her of food. Briefly, Naru thought of Kakashi and the infamous Bell Test. By now, at least one person would be tied to the log and with his perpetual chronic lateness he would have arrived by ten fifteen after they had been waiting presumably since six, hungry and tired.

The thought of Sasuke all trussed up like a Yule Turkey was too much and she fell off the log, giggling and kicking her feet into the air.

Yuuhi Kurenai observed the girl as Naru had her laughing fit and simply raised an eyebrow. She had known about Naru Christopher, what person didn't in Konohagakure? As a child she was extremely rambunctious and not at all ladylike till she was six and calmed down some. She also had friends that ran the odd gamut from Sandaime to even scarily enough Mitarashi Anko and Morino Ibiki. It was also said that she earned the trust to give each one nicknames and Kurenai had been present the day she saw off Morino Ibiki with a loud cry of "See you when you get back Ibi-chan!"

The resulting fallout had ninety percent of the Jounin of the Leaf teasing the sadistic interrogator for at least three months. Ibiki had retaliated with the most childish prank war ever to gain his respect back which Sister Naru had returned in kind. It was the first time that Konohagakure had been covered in goo by the end result of said prank war and as punishment, both Naru and Ibiki were seen strapped to harnesses cleaning the mountain off with long handled brushes.

After a few minutes, the last member of Team Eight stumbled out of the course, looking worse for wear but all three looked happy they had made it through. After Kurenai gave them the customary dressing down and passed them all, Kiba let out a loud exclamation of "Holy crap, that was insane."

Shino nodded as he glanced over at Naru who pushed a bento into his hands. "Thank you," he said quietly as she put down one for Akamaru, gave one to Kiba who eagerly tore into his and handed one to Hinata who blushed and thanked Naru. Naru then handed one to Kurenai who thanked the girl politely.

"Aw right!" exclaimed Kiba, finally wrestling the somewhat cute handkerchief off his food and Akamaru's. "I love tako sushi! Thanks a lot, Naru!"

"I always remember people's favorites," said Naru as Shino found his favorite, oni-giri with plain rice next to it. It was his bugs favourite as well as a small platoon of kikai bugs swarmed a corner of the bento. Hinata's own favorite sashimi with extra spicy kimchi and wasabi sat in her box and Kurenai had a standard box. "Sorry Kurenai-sensei, I haven't seen what you like yet."

"It's okay," said Kurenai, grateful for the food since she had neglected to bring her own meal. "This is plenty enough Sister Naru."

"Maa, just Naru is fine," said Naru as she pulled out a chocolate covered rice ball and munched it. "I'm not acting on behalf of the Order anyhow so I don't need anything like titles with friends."

"This is very good," said Shino as he finished his food and sipped the canned green tea that Naru provided him. "Naru-san, do you usually cook?"

"I had to, growing up," said Naru, looking a little distant. "In the Order, everyone learns how to cook, clean, sew and fight. Father Remington taught me some of it and I also learned when I started making friends as well."

"It's really good," announced Kiba from his cross-legged position while Akamaru dined on his dog food. "Hey Kurenai-sensei, when do we go on our first mission?"

"Well we'll have to let the Hokage know that we passed first," said Kurenai thoughtfully. "And then we'll see from there. What we'll be getting mostly are D-Rank missions, usually more in the vein of chores than anything else."

"So nothing like a super secret mission then," said Kiba and he sounded a little disappointed.

"As fresh Genin, we won't have the qualifications to take on anything else," said Shino blandly. "No one will hire a Genin for a high-ranked mission without prior experience."

"Shino-san's right," said Hinata, speaking for the first time in a while. "There's a good chance that we won't see any mission over C-Rank for the first three or four months."

"Sucks," grumbled Kiba. "But I guess its fine then."

The faint sound of an alarm bell rung out over the training ground and Naru's ears perked up. "That sounds like…" she murmured before a wide grin split her face. "Hey guys, c'mon! That was Kakashi's alarm clock and it means that his team failed!"

"Really?" exclaimed Kiba, standing up in surprise. "You mean Uchiha failed?"

"Yeah!" grinned Naru widely. "Smug jerk probably didn't realize what the test meant and Kakashi always uses his alarm clock as a timer. If it's run out, that means the team must be tied to the log!"

"Can we go, Kurenai-sensei?" asked Kiba excited.

Kurenai hid a smile that was threatening to blossom into a maniac grin before she waved the group off. The others took off like a shot with Akamaru woofing all the way there.

* * *

"I think the blood is rushing to my head," whimpered Ichimaru Shun and Haruno Sakura could only whimper in agreement. Uchiha Sasuke said nothing but the way his face was practically a tomato, the blood was all rushing to his head.

Kakashi fought the urge to palm his face or give them a Gai-like speech that would probably scar them for life, settling on a placid expression under his mask. He expected Sasuke not to be a team player but for Shun and Sakura not get the purpose of the exam despite numerous hints also spoke of carelessness. Looks like I'm failing Team Seven again, thought Kakashi to himself. Though it wouldn't be the first time I had to fail a team.

Kakashi had to admit that tying them upside down was usually not done in failing the Bell Test but for this group of stubborn idiots, it might stimulate the growth of long overdue logic. Shun went first, as predicted but he exhausted his chakra right off the hop with an earth-based Jutsu that dropped Kakashi into a very deep hole. It would have been hard to get out of if Kakashi didn't calmly walk up the earthen walls and simply clonk the exhausted black haired boy on the head. Sakura was easy to deal with once he had pulled a similar stunt with Sasuke and used half of the Earth Decapitation Technique to bury him to the neck (of course the other half involved actual decapitation but Kakashi knew better than to do such a thing during a training exercise). Sakura required one Genjutsu of her beloved Sasuke half-dead and horribly maimed and she fainted, only to get up, stumble into the clearing and faint seeing Sasuke as a talking head.

Team Seven had a history of pumping out the people who had eventually become the most famous ninja in history. The origin of the Team Seven legend begun with the Sandaime who later taught the Sannin and then continued with the Yondaime teaching his own team which was passed down to Kakashi as a mantle of pride and respect. It wasn't to say that Kakashi was extraordinarily picky with his Genin team; it was more out of respect of all of their predecessors that whomever Kakashi deemed to teach had to embrace the teachings of all of the past teams.

Besides, Team Seven had an interesting track record. Interesting was the least descriptive of the matter however. The truth to the matter was that Team Seven was inevitably torn apart by tragedy. The Sandaime's team died before his eyes. The Sannin were split apart with one lost in her sorrow, another a mega-perverted wandering writer (Kakashi had no problems with that little facet since Icha Icha Paradise held a special place in his utility pouch) and the third was an S-Class immortality-obsessed maniac with delusions of learning every Jutsu in the world. His own team under the guidance of Yondaime had met a crushing end, literally in Uchiha Obito and Narutaki Rin's case; Obito under a boulder and Rin under the paw of the Kyuubi.

Tragic fates seemed to be associated with Team Seven and it was part of the reason why Kakashi constantly refused to pass a team. He had no desire to see another team shattered by grief.

"You guys…" intoned Kakashi, preparing to fail them when a bark of laughter erupted by their sudden spectator squad. Team Eight under Kurenai were standing at the end, and Kiba made no pretense of laughing at Team Seven.

Shino's shoulders were shaking and the boy was laughing under his jacket. Hinata looked mortified at the thought of laughing too hard and Kurenai was hiding a smirk under her hand. Kiba of course was howling and Naru, the obvious ringleader laughed as she walked up and smacked Kakashi on the back. Kakashi fought the urge to cough (although the attempt took off at least a year off his life) as she exclaimed "Nice one, Kakashi! I figured at least one or two tied to the log but not all three! And upside down to boot!"

"I suppose it is priceless, isn't it?" said Kakashi, his visible eye upturning into a happy approximation of a smile.

Naru giggled and knelt down, poking Sasuke on the nose. The Uchiha growled but otherwise couldn't move due to the excessive amount of knots and rope used to keep him and his friends upside down. "This is pretty fun," giggled Naru and she poked him in he nose a few more times, neatly avoiding Sasuke's attempt at biting her finger. "Hey Kiba, try it out!"

"Okay you two, that's enough," chided Kurenai after Kiba had gotten a few pokes on Sasuke's nose and the Uchiha had successfully bit the dog boy's finger. "Kakashi, I see you're doing well."

"Kurenai, hello!" chirped Kakashi. "I was just about to fail them, so please carry on kids."

"Yay!" cheered Naru and Kiba like children as they started picking on Sakura and Shun.

"Wait a moment, Kakashi-sensei!" protested Sakura from her upside down position, taking a moment to try and make Naru's finger a light snack. "You're going to fail us?"

"I was planning on it, yes," said Kakashi casually as he crouched down and poked his kids on the nose one by one. "Sasuke, you ignored your teammates and tried to fight on your own. There were numerous times that someone could have simply had taken you out since you wasted all of your moves in a flashy attempt at ending the battle…"

Moving onto Sakura, Kakashi continued. "Sakura, you were so concerned with Sasuke, it blinded you to your other teammate who I took out immediately. In a real fight, someone would have easily slipped a kunai between your ribs while you ran around like a chicken with its head cut off."

Poking Shun in the nose, Kakashi finished. "And you, Shun, spent all of your chakra on a single technique which states how much you wanted to finish it without the help of your friends. Granted most people like bandits would be caught but the fact is; you're fighting a JOUNIN which says something. But good effort in trying to keep damage down at least."

"Actions like these are not the actions of ninja," stated Kakashi, looking large and imposing. "But being the nice guy I am, I'll also give you all one more chance. One hour to try again after I'm done eating this wonderful lunches here. And yes I said lunches, plural."

The Genin who were tied to the logs produced a simultaneous stomach growl as Kakashi sat down with bento in hand and made a show of eating, exaggerating every chew, every tangible morsel. Team Eight looked distinctly amused while Team Seven less so.

"That's cruel and unusual," stated Kiba as he watched Kakashi eat. "He's even making me hungry and we just ate a little while ago."

"That's Kakashi," summed up Kurenai, knowing fully well the quirks that the silver haired Jounin had and part of it was tormenting students even if he didn't pass them. "Let's get going before they start begging and pleading."

* * *

"Did you SEE Uchiha's expression?" grinned Kiba as Team Eight plus Naru, now off for the day were heading back from the Hokage's tower. "I thought he was ready to bust out of those ropes like a madman the way his face was so red."

"It was a unique sight indeed," agreed Shino.

Hinata twiddled her fingers in thought as she looked over at the Hokage tower. "Do you think Kakashi-sensei will pass them?"

"Not a chance," snorted Kiba. "Right, Naru?"

"Oh yeah," said Naru, nodding. "Kakashi doesn't like to pass people. It's not that he's lazy; it's more like the Team Seven Curse."

"Team Seven Curse?" inquired Shino and Naru knew he had Shino hooked on her every word. From being friends so long, Naru knew exactly what pushed into Shino's interest. He liked bugs, good food and folktales of various teams.

"Every Team Seven that has graduated to full Genin… has been ripped apart by tragedy and sorrow," intoned Naru in her creepiest voice she could muster with expression to match. Hinata squeaked and hid behind Kiba, and Kiba snorted.

"There's no such thing as curses," snorted Kiba and Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Like there's nothing like say, the Kyuubi?" said Naru, eyebrows upraised. "Or the Order of Magdalene which just HAPPENS to hunt demons as official exorcists?"

Kiba tried to find some type of explanation for Naru's statement and failed, sinking into something of a sulk.

"How would one go about putting a curse on something or someone?" asked Shino.

"Well," said Naru, thinking. "Some people like to invoke minor anger spirits. Other people go hardcore and sic a demon onto a family for all time. Other times, it's actually just a manifestation of pent up aggression towards someone or something of the sort. And sometimes, people are just determined to find out if it's true or not and wind up creating a self-fulfilling prophesy. It's hard to say since curses aren't exactly part of my knowledge of esoteric know-how."

"I see," said Shino, nodding. "This is my house. I will be leaving you now." Without further ado, Shino split up from them as he entered the Aburame family home.

"All this talk about Curses is making me hungry," stated Kiba as the group stood around in front of Shino's house. "Let's get a bite to eat. I hear Team Ten found a pretty good BBQ place."

"We just ATE," protested Naru. "And I'm not feeding you. I'm not made out of money."

"Is it my fault that Kakashi-sensei has a very unique way of making people hungry?" grinned Kiba and Akamaru barked in agreement.

Entering the BBQ place, the three members of Team Eight and Naru sat down at a booth. The smell of charcoal assaulted their noses and Kiba sniffled a little before sneezing into a napkin he hurriedly tore from the holder. "Wow, that's strong stuff," he remarked as he blew his nose.

Soon the waitress came around and they placed their order for the meat. As the first few pieces cooked and Akamaru fed himself on a few raw pieces, Hinata checked the clock on the wall and said, "I should be getting home soon."

"Aw it's okay Hinata," said Naru, waving her chopsticks in a fluttering pattern. "If your dad asks, I was just with you."

Hinata nodded, a little hesitantly before she flipped over her first piece and let it cook some more. "I just wish father wouldn't be so strict."

"Your dad has some serious issues," snorted Kiba. "The only one who was nice out of that lot was Uncle Hizashi and you of course, Hinata. Even Neji, stupid prick still has a stick up his butt."

"Oi oi, that's enough Kiba," scolded Naru as Hinata sunk into her seat. "But he does have a point Hinata. You're letting your dad step all over your confidence. Uncle Hizashi always said you needed time to blossom and hey, you're an official Genin now. That's worth a lot now."

"T-Thank you," stammered Hinata, flushing as she poked her meat. Finding it to her liking, she ate it and inhaled sharply as she snatched up her water to pacify her burnt tongue. Fanning her tongue and earning a cheerful giggle from Naru and a grin from Kiba and Akamaru, Team Eight and accomplice continued to eat, enjoying each others company.

* * *

Naru hummed that night as she strolled along the wall. It was already dark out and she had spent the entire afternoon with Kiba, Akamaru and Hinata before seeing them off at their respective houses. Hinata's father, Hiashi, gave Naru a glare which she returned with an out stuck tongue that earned the Hyuuga death-glare in reply. Her daily Hiashi-baiting complete, Naru headed home walking along the top of the retaining wall.

Sister Kate constantly said that it was not ladylike. Naru figured that she could strike a fairly decent medium between boyishness and female propriety especially with the summer months coming up quickly. Then she'd be able to wear her summer outfit that would get her out of the quite embarrassing set of long underwear she had to wear constantly during the spring and winter. Fire Country was very hot during the summer, hence it's name, and chillingly cold when winter set in. Granted it didn't snow here like in Snow Country, but the temperature dropped to an unbearable (for most people) minus fifteen Celsius.

As she skipped around an overhang, she leapt onto the Haruno rooftop to transfer over to the next wall that would lead to the Order when she stopped short. The sound of soft muffled crying reached her ears and she peeked into the first room. Inside sat Haruno Sakura, crying into her hands, her eyes rimmed with redness. Her mother Haruno Hana, a thin and willowy woman sporting the Haruno pink hair, was rubbing her back as she spoke in low tones.

Looks like Kakashi really did fail them, thought Naru as she strained to hear what might be going on inside. Naru could barely make out the words.

"... and then Kakashi-sensei said that we should quit as being ninja."

Naru felt an inexplicable pang of guilt as she recalled poking the girl in the nose, teasing her about not passing. Leaning in more, she caught more of the conversation. "Kakashi-sensei didn't even think we were good enough."

"What sort of exam was it dear?" asked Hana.

"Kakashi-sensei said that it was a teamwork exam and if we disobeyed his orders as a team, it made more difference in his eyes. Sasuke-kun hasn't been seen out of his apartment in the Uchiha compound and Shun-san has thrown himself into work at refining his chakra control even though we're not Genin." Sakura hiccupped and then added, "I don't even have my headband anymore. Kakashi-sensei said we didn't deserve to wear it if we couldn't even protect the people and work together."

"I'm sorry Sakura. Your father is due back tonight from his business trip so we'll go out to eat for breakfast tomorrow morning, okay? Get some rest, okay?" With a heavy sigh, Hana headed out of the room, leaving Sakura to curl up into a miserable ball on her bed.

"Poor girl," murmured Naru as she stood back up from her crouch next to the window. "I didn't think she'd take it so hard."

"That's to say the least," said Kakashi from behind Naru and Naru's heart nearly leapt out of her throat. Whirling on Kakashi, she was about to yell at him when he held a finger up to his face and she caught herself in time. Gesturing for Naru to follow, the pair leapt a few homes away and landed on a flat rooftop. "How much did you hear?" asked Kakashi, curious.

"Most of it," said Naru, folding her arms. "You really didn't pass them and took away their headbands too. Call me crazy, Kakashi-baka, but that seems a little over the top."

"Maa," said Kakashi, rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed. "And which one of us went about poking them in the nose, teasing them about failing?"

"I…" Naru tried to protest but she was cut off by Kakashi's wave of a hand.

"It's no matter," said Kakashi, "But just to let you know, I went to speak to the Hokage since he summoned me and all. There are many positions that an official Genin cannot handle because of their nature of a non-combatant role and Hokage-sama asked me to keep Team Seven together for these types of missions."

"Yeah, like messengers and stuff," said Naru. "So Team Seven is…?"

"Officially not passed as a combat-level team of course," answered Kakashi, "but the Hokage also wants to check something out and requested the help of the Order as well. It seems that there is a message to be delivered to a couple of people we know well."

"Wait a moment," said Naru, waving her hands in a fluttery gesture learned from a very unique man she had met on a mission with Father Remington about two years ago. "Does this mean that I've been drafted into your little command?"

"Only on a temp basis," said Kakashi, his eye upturning into a happy u-shape. "Think of it as a mission with double-sided pay. The Order also wanted me to deliver this to you."

Naru caught the thrown message and she unrolled it. After a moment, Naru raised her eyebrow and said, "My first major solo mission. And it just HAPPENED to be on the way too."

"Team Seven will be given the message to assemble at the Hokage's Tower at nine tomorrow morning and you'll be meeting us at the gates at ten. Then we're to head east to the village of Ito here in Fire Country before proceeding to the city of Kaze in the Wind Country to the north. Along the way, your mission is apparently centered in the Ruin Town of Shamballa, one of the last remaining Eastern settlements." Kakashi shrugged and added, "It looks like it'll be another long trip so the Order is also offering us the use of one of their lost technology vehicles since time seems to be of the essence if we are to catch the recipients as soon as possible."

Naru gaped at Kakashi in surprise. "Say WHAT?" she demanded. "This must be pretty important to dig out one of the cars. Even Father Remington, who is always away walks or takes a cart. Not to mention the process of fuelling those things on a regular basis is just nuts."

"Yes, which means no extra side trips or destroying it," said Kakashi and Naru pouted as his eye upturned once more. "Pack well; it will be a long trip."

"You bastard, you set this whole thing up," grumbled Naru but there was no heart in the accusation as she headed off over the rooftops towards the Order. She had an old pervert to speak to.

* * *

"Aaaah, Naru-chan I figured you'd be coming here tonight," grinned the Elder as Naru dropped in through the open window. "So, have you agreed to my request for a free show ye-ERK!"

After removing her boot from the Elder's face, Naru said, "As if you dirty old man! And you forget I'm really a guy!"

"Hehehehe, but you have the self-identity of a girl still and soft in all the right places," grinned the Elder as he ducked another kick.

Naru and the Elder had a long history together as he was the one who taught her about the lost technology. Long ago before the great upheaval that split the continents, there was a thriving civilization in the Eastern lands. When the great upheaval was destroying their cities and technology, demons migrated to the western lands and as such, the eastern people followed them, most prominently the Order. The Elder was the grandson of one of the original settlers and possessed an uncanny knowledge of the lost technology and had the means to produce things as well as create new weapons for the Order.

The Elder had a name of course, Edward Hamilton although everyone just called him Elder, Ed or Dirty Old Freak Of Nature (depending on the person itself). He was also a good friend of the Sandaime which said a lot about his frank perverted nature. But when it came to technology, the Elder had everything in the bag.

"The Order got the message today," said the Elder as he pulled the canvas off of the vehicle. "It's a reconstruction and frankly sturdier than it was when it first was made."

The vehicle was a simple thing; gas powered, four wheels and it was in the design of what Naru remembered was a 'truck' but it was a little different with the wheels large and stretched outwards from the body of the vehicle with large suspension on either side. The box in the back provided a method of hauling cargo or perhaps bringing people as the actual driver side and passenger seats were covered in an open top, leaving an escape route in case of crash, attack or just plain stupid driving. "Sister Kate wants me to add the hard top on as well in case it rains but I'm thinking of just putting up the soft top since these ninja like to be free moving," said the Elder. "And also, this model is light and wide set with the cab riding low. It'll allow you to drive over dunes if you need to get off the main roads."

Elder tapped the side of the vehicle and added, "The tank is full and I was able to fill five cans of fuel to load in the back so don't go blowing it up or on a joyride, you hear?"

"I hear you," grumbled Naru. "I'm not six anymore."

"No, you're twelve which makes you even worse," said Elder and he grinned in the way that reminded Naru of Jiraiya and wiggled his fingers. "Speaking of it, could you use it to get Jiraiya to cough up on that special edition Icha Icha he promised me?"

"You dirty old fart," grumbled Naru.

"Standard issue weaponry too," said Elder, ignoring Naru's frustrated expression as he wandered over to the table. "Mind you there's a bullet cap now so don't go nuts with the Tommy Gun. Once you're out of rounds both normal and Sacred, you only have a single Gospel to finish off the opponent but try to get the demon before having to resort to it. And of course you have your cross-sword as well."

"So what kind of demon are we looking at?" asked Naru curiously as Elder filled up her clips and prepared her gear.

"It's surprisingly a small one, part of the local mythology. Apparently it was a friendly kappa before one of the eastern demons got a hold of it and well, turned it into a bloodthirsty creature. Cucumbers aren't part of its diet anymore, more like sweet, sweet raw human flesh and the request came in to the Hokage's Tower this evening."

"And Father Remington just HAPPENED to assign me to it as well as send Kakashi's failed Team Seven there as well."

"Team Seven is under observation," answered Elder. "The Harunos and the Ichimarus aren't very big in the village but no one wants Uchiha Sasuke turning into a carbon copy our favourite S-Class loose cannons. That's why they're being messengers and under the cooperation of the Order. Officially they are not combat-level Genin and as Messenger Ninja, they have the opportunity to get out and see the world."

"Do you have an idea of who they're delivering messages to?" asked Naru.

"Oh yes. Jiraiya and Tsunade. It seems that Sarutobi wants them back home for a little while. If I know how his thoughts work, he's probably going to set it up that at least one of them'll wind up teaching Uchiha. It's my guess that the other'll get another and Kakashi'll get the last." Elder sighed and turned to look at Naru critically. "Just remember that this is a standard Order mission which means subtlety is the best policy. If you can deal with the mission without blowing up stuff, then do it."

"Right, right, no rampant amounts of mass destruction," said Naru, waving her hand dismissively. Picking up her stuff, she shouldered it and said, "Well I'm getting to bed. Night, Elder."

"Before you go, can you model your nice summer outfit? It's so lonely at night…" Elder was abruptly cut off by a kick to the family jewels and he collapsed on the ground as Naru stormed off.

* * *

"Naru-chan!" called out Sister Miriam as she rapped the door. "Naru!"

The door to Naru's private room opened up and she peeked out blearily. "Yeah?"

"Naru, it's nine fifteen," said Sister Miriam as she took in Naru's sleeping clothes, a rumpled long t-shirt and nothing but panties under it; utterly scandalous for a sister of the Order. "Come on, get dressed and bathed! You have to meet Team Seven at the gates at ten, right?"

Snapping to full awareness, Naru "EEP"ed and shut the door. The sound of frantic movement could be heard and then the whoosh of Naru's private shower accompanied by successive screeches of "hot hot hot" and "cold cold cold" emitting from the room. Soon, a hurricane erupted from the door as Naru wrestled her long white stockings on, her hair uncombed and her habit everywhere. Even the white and blue jacket hung open, flashing her bra everywhere as Naru scrambled to get into her clothes.

Sister Miriam sighed, palming her face as Sister Nina giggled and added, "She's so energetic in the morning."

"That's the least of it, Nina," said Sister Maria as Naru ran into the wall backwards as she hopped on one foot to get into her long stockings. "Let's hope she gets dressed BEFORE she runs out the door of the Order. Otherwise Sister Kate'll have a field day."

"It's not like it hasn't HAPPENED before," giggled Sister Nina. "She's so energetic and fun…"

Sister Miriam gave her friend a look and rolled her eyes. "I guess it couldn't get any worse."

"Oh it can," said Sister Nina cheerfully as the roar of an engine could be heard in the complex. "Elder gave her a CAR."

* * *

Driving in Konohagakure was more of a chore of patience than anything else.

Naru was hard-pressed not to get frustrated at the extremely slow moving carts that she eased the rather wide-set vehicle around and then pressed the gas, only to jam on the brakes before she ran into and over a group of school-age civilian kids. Grumbling under her breath, Naru inched her way through the main street, earning stares of awe and sometimes horror as some of the people remembered the last time Sister Naru Christopher took a car out.

After experiencing the world's first traffic jam that hadn't been due to a cow passing out in the middle of the Fire Country summer heat, Naru finally made it to the gates where Kakashi stood with his team of messengers.

All three of them looked somewhat disgruntled, ranging from scowls to awed expressions at the vehicle that Naru drove. Kakashi, long accustomed to the Order's technology-from-nowhere tendencies merely proclaimed "shotgun" as he bounded up and landed into the passenger's seat from the open soft-top. "Hi. You're late."

"Not by much," grinned Naru easily. "And let's face it; you're usually later than I am."

Getting out of the car, Naru jumped down from the cab and said, "Okay people, you get the back."

"What kind of contraption is this?" asked Shun, running a hand over the polished metal body of the vehicle. The lanky black haired kid looked thrilled at the prospect of riding in such a vehicle. "Sessha has never seen it before."

"It's a truck or one that's heavily modified for the Wind Country travel," said Naru, patting the machine fondly. "We'll make good time, making our stops a breeze."

"There are seats in the back," said Sakura as she examined the back seats and wrinkled her nose at the smell of gasoline that was tucked under a tarp, "with strange straps."

"Ah, those are your seatbelts," added Naru, earning a confused look from the group sans Kakashi. "It protects you from being hurt if we accidentally crash. We ARE traveling at 120 kilometres an hour."

"And that's… fast?" said Sasuke, feeling a little doomed.

"Hell yes," said Naru and Kakashi poked his head out of the passenger's seat.

"Best buckle up," said Kakashi, his eye upturning into a little happy U. "We'll be taking off shortly and you'll want to be sitting down."

After wrestling with the seatbelts and making certain that their things were secured and that the gas cans would not fly away when she hit a very large bump, Naru handed Kakashi the map and said, "You're navigating," before starting the truck. It roared to life and the Genin clapped their hands over their ears at the sound as she shifted into first gear and punched the gas.

The truck tore off, speeds hitting sixty before Naru shifted two more times and then they were off, traveling down the road at speeds unheard of for ninja and ninety nine percent of the civilian population. A couple of ninja returning from a mission hurled themselves into the trees to avoid getting run over. From it, there was a chorus of "WHOOOOO!" followed by "Sasuke-kun, don't get sick in the truck!"

* * *

They made good time, traveling towards the village of Ito where Jiraiya was last known and was presumably still at. The old pervert only left a trail of crumbs but it was an easy trail to follow. It wasn't so much crumbs rather than giant stone landmarks in the shape of Jiraiya posing in what he called the Man's Triumph. It looked like he was trying out for imitating a rabid chipmunk. Of course said crumbs were metaphorical but it was quite easy to figure out Jiraiya's usual hangouts. Brothels, hotel rooms, bars and hot springs and not usually in the same order or all at the time.

To Naru's eternal amusement as well as Kakashi's, Shun's and Inner Sakura's (although Outer Sakura would have killed herself to admit otherwise), Uchiha Sasuke got carsick on the way there. Going faster than most bodies could move in a single long trip across bumpy roads was hell on his stomach and Naru slowed down a little from her cruising speed of 120 KPH to 80 KPH once they hit the huge grass plains that ran across the boarders of Grass Country and Wind Country. Technology was FUN, reflected Sakura as she sipped her tea. It took most of the morning to arrive at the village of Ito that sat on the boarders between Fire and Wind Country, although a trip like that on foot would have lasted a day and a half usually. Konohagakure was situated in Fire Country so that it was closer to the boarder from some directions and further in another. Going to say Sunagakure, the Hidden Village of Sand took three days or less depending on how hardcore the ninja was to get there. In a completely different direction, the Valley of the End only took about half a day to get there or less at top speed.

The tea Naru provided with them was laced with an herbal extract that would calm stomachs on a long bumpy journey. It was standard issue since most people were not used to traveling at such speeds or over such rough terrain and by the green shade Sasuke was still sporting, he was trying to keep his own tea down. Kakashi seemed unperturbed by the speeds they traveled at but Sakura noticed some finger marks on the armrest that was not there before.

Parking on the outskirts of town, Naru cut the engine and cleared her throat. "Lady and Gentlemen, we are at Ito."

The three Genin and one Jounin got out of the vehicle, Sasuke a little green. "That was FUN," grinned Shun. "Can we do it again - de gozaru?"

"Once we find Pervert-Man Jiraiya," said Naru absently as she leaned against the truck. "You guys go and deliver that message. I'll be here with the truck. No sense letting some idiot try and steal it without knowing what it does."

Kakashi nodded. "We shouldn't be more than two hours. Will you be fine here by yourself?"

"Go go," said Naru, waving her hand. "There's a snack stand right here. I'll be fine."

Sharing a glance, Kakashi cleared his throat and said, "Shun, go with Sakura. Sasuke, you're with me. If you meet any foreign ninja, treat them with respect since we're still within Fire Country and don't get into a fight."

His three Genin nodded and took off in two directions, becoming streaks in the distance. Naru looked up into the sky, shielding her eyes as she murmured, "Midday. Nice." Then, turning to the shopkeeper next to her, she called out "Hello ma'am! Can I have some of your natto please?"

* * *

"So what does Jiraiya-dono look like?" asked Shun curiously as he and Sakura walked down the main street, casting glances back and forth at the small village. The community was a bustling place, filled with people who looked well fed and happy. "Sessha was not paying attention on the way here, trying to keep Sasuke-san from throwing up- de gozaru."

Sakura shrugged and said, "Well from what Kakashi-sensei said, he's tall with long wild white hair and carrying a very large scroll on his back. And he's also usually found around bathhouses and brothels, although he doesn't want me fifty feet from one."

"Ah, I see," said Shun and Sakura took a moment to contemplate her teammate.

Her graduating class had been of thirty-six students, made up into twelve teams of three people. Out of the other thirty-four people, Ichimaru Shun was placed into their team as their third member. Sakura didn't know too much about Ichimaru Shun, only the basic things that was common knowledge to the village. His family was a third-generation decent from the Shodaime and while they had a member on the council, they mediated disputes more than swaying vote. Shun himself had the most chakra out of all of them but he had problems with letting out a little at a time, as attributed to the giant hole that Kakashi simply walked out of. Quiet, polite and a little unassuming, Shun was a face that blended into the background, only volunteering information when it was prudent. He obviously was a normal kid by any account, having hobbies that lent itself to manga and magazines and training to keep his chakra from exploding out all together in a single technique.

When looking at him, he was rather unremarkable as well. He wore his hair tied back in a ponytail and it was a deep black color. He had brown eyes and no real family Jutsu of any sort of remark. His mother was a Prisoner of War from the Stone-Grass-Leaf war and she was the one who taught Shun the plethora of mainly Earth-based Jutsu. On the note of her mother however, after winning the war the Leaf took some of the best shinobi from the losing camp and Ichimaru Riku was the one who eventually courted and wed Konoemon Konoka, one of the major Stone leader's daughters.

His mother and father had mostly retired from being ninja, although they occasionally went as a husband-and-wife team for undercover missions every so often to bring in income.

"Is something on your mind Sakura-san?" asked Shun, his voice soft as usual.

Sakura blinked and blushed horribly before saying, "Oh, sorry. I was just lost in thought. We haven't really gotten to know each other that well huh?"

"Aah, that is correct," said Shun, rubbing the back of his head. "Sessha isn't too good at times when we talk as well - de gozaru. What would you like to know?"

"Well," said Sakura, thinking of what she could ask him and decided on a simple thing. "I'm curious why you refer to yourself like that, like a samurai does."

"Ah, of course," said Shun, smiling brightly. "Okaasama has taught me to always be polite even during battle. Sessha was always interested in samurai as well and somehow has picked up the naming scheme - de gozaru. Sessha believes it puts people at ease and lightens moods and gives the impression of a bubblehead even in battle which can be a major downfall of the enemy."

"And the quirky words at the end like de gozaru?" asked Sakura.

"Yes," said Shun, smiling. "Sessha can speak normally, but it is of habit than anything else, that it is."

"No, no, it's fine," said Sakura, "I think it's kind of cute actually."

"Oro?" asked Shun, his expression confused before it split into a smile. "Ah, I see. Well then, Sakura-san, may sessha ask you a question as well?"

"Of course," said Sakura. "What do you want to know?"

"Sessha has been wondering what you want to do, or did when we were still combat-level Genin. Sasuke-san has stated he is aiming for vengeance and while sessha does not believe in it, each has their own path to follow - de gozaru."

"Well..." Sakura frowned in thought. What DID she want to do now that they were Messenger Ninja? The combat experience of a Messenger Ninja team was remarkably low with the occasional bandit gang getting in their way for anything potentially valuable carried on their person. She had thought that once she had gotten on Sasuke's team, he would show her everything he knew. But the dark haired boy had been less than forthcoming on anything remotely productive. "I'm not sure. I thought that we would learn something from Sasuke-kun or perhaps Kakashi-sensei, but we haven't yet. What about you Shun-san?"

"Oro?" asked Shun once more and then tapped his finger on the chin. "A medic-nin. Sessha does not like harming people and while it is needed, sessha would feel bad if a grievous wound was inflicted on a teammate and sessha had no skills to patch things up. Okaasama was a medic-nin from the Stone as well."

"Medic-nin skills are fairly rare now," said Sakura. "Since Tsunade-hime has left several years ago, there has been a rapid decline in the use of a medic-nin in the team."

"Sessha has also been looking into the medic-nin history," said Shun, agreeing with Sakura. "Genin teams used to be four people with the fourth being a medic-nin. I believe Kakashi-sensei had one on his team when under the command of the Yondaime Hokage-dono. Narutaki Rin was her name."

"Ah yes," said Sakura, feeling that they had gotten more of a common ground now that they identified something they were familiar with. "Rin-san was one of the best combat-level medic-nin's to date next to Tsunade of the Sannin. What surprises me is that you would like to be a medic-nin, since most are women."

"It is true that most medic-nin are women," said Shun, nodding in agreement. "But as well there are men who also excel in healing rather than conflict and that can be a valuable thing in a Messenger Ninja squad - de gozaru. I do not strive for conflict such as Sasuke-san. Sessha will leave it up to him, that I will."

Sakura felt her appreciation for her teammate rise as she observed the expressions on Shun's face. To think someone like him has both feet on the ground while Sasuke-kun and I don't. He reminds me of someone...

"Sakura-san," said Shun, breaking her train of thought as he pointed down the road. "Is that not Jiraiya-dono?"

Sakura peered down the road at a man who approached them at a steady pace. His hair was white and flared out in all directions and was garbed in white and red with a little green here and there. On his back was a large scroll and he looked a little bruised from some sort of encounter. "I think it is," said Sakura as she raised her voice. "Jiraiya-san!"

The white haired man looked up and his expression changed from initial apprehension to relief. "Aaah, you must be those messengers I was expecting," chortled the man as he came up to them and struck a silly pose. Some kind of genjutsu was behind him as he posed against crashing waves and a shimmering red sun. "I am Jiraiya, the Toad Sannin! Who are you, little children of Konohagakure?!"

Sakura stared in abject shock at the silly nature of the man and Shun cleared his throat. "Jiraiya-dono, we are ordered to bring a letter to you and Tsunade-hime of the Sannin from our leader Sandaime Hokage."

"Aaah, the old man probably wants us back home," said Jiraiya, chuckling. "Well then, I suppose you need my help finding Tsunade-hime, don'tcha? Where are you meeting your team leader?"

"At the natto stand on the outskirts of Ito," replied Shun politely. "It is an honour to meet you, Jiraiya-dono."

"Heh," said Jiraiya, rubbing his head. "First time in a while I've been called dono. Okay then; let's get going kids!"

Sakura leaned in close to Shun and whispered, "Is he REALLY Jiraiya? He acts more like Sister Naru than a legendary Toad Sannin."

Shun's only reply was a quirky smile and Jiraiya, who had been listening made a face. Like Sister Naru now really!

* * *

"Ha-choo!"

Naru rubbed her nose as she leaned against the truck, idly kicking the thug who had tried to steal her car despite not knowing how it worked. Only that a delicate-looking girl with strange objects on her belt was a potential pushover. The thug rolled over and thudded into the wall as she placed her empty natto dish to the side. "Man, I should have just put an anti-theft system on this thing," she grumbled. "Flamethrowers. Yeah, that's the ticket."

A puff of smoke signified the return of at least one member of the Messenger Team and both Kakashi and Sasuke materialized from the flashy entrance. "Yo," said Kakashi as a way of greeting. "Sorry we're late."

"Naw, it's not a big deal," said Naru, shaking her head as Sasuke gazed down at the thug that had quickly joined the ranks of the still-twitching men on the ground. There was a LOT of people of all shapes, sizes and was that a CLOUD-NIN headband in the mix?!

"Did you do all of this yourself?" asked Sasuke, his voice raised a little to indicate what amounted to him as abject shock.

"Yeah," said Naru, nodding. "They were asking for it; trying to steal a piece of technology that they have NO idea how it works."

"I think there's a Cloud-nin headband in the mix," mused Kakashi, poking a few bodies who groaned in reply. "What did he do anyhow?"

"Tried feeling me up and then I introduced him to Mr. Boot," said Naru and the pair shuffled back as one. Women were SCARY and nuns were even scarier. Sasuke resolved not to get in a fight with Sister Naru EVER since she was casually downing another bowl of natto and had nary a scratch on her.

"Hello everyone!" exclaimed Jiraiya as he walked up with Sakura and Shun. "I see that Hurricane Naru has made an appearance!"

"Oi! Ero-sennin!" exclaimed Naru. Jiraiya made a face as she continued, a mischievous grin on her face. "What's the matter; research material slowing down these days?"

"You wish, brat," grumbled Jiraiya. "Just feel lucky I know exactly where Tsunade is right now or we'd be taking the scenic route in your pretty little truck."

Naru replied by giving the universal gesture of "Fuck You" and Jiraiya fought the urge to reply in kind. Instead, he added, "So did you grow any breasts lately little girl?"

There was a sound like a piano wire strung suddenly and then, a comedic-esque dust cloud erupted from where Jiraiya once stood as Sister Naru Christopher, nun of the Order of Magdalene laid into him, arms, legs and heads sticking out of the dust cloud every so often as they brawled like a couple of eastern animated characters. Sakura, Sasuke, Shun and even Kakashi stared in abject shock as the pair traded fists and insults.

* * *

Jiraiya pouted all the way to the village of Shamballa where Sister Naru was to do her work. Upon arriving there however, he immediately sobered up at the sight of the village. While Shamballa was one of the few major areas with limited amounts of eastern technology such as electricity and running water as well as refrigeration systems, it had never been this bad before.

"What happened here?" whispered Sakura, not daring to raise her voice as the team gazed around the ruined village.

The villagers all seemed to be in fair shape for the most part, but their homes were part rubble with long gouges here and there in the shape of claws from the way the land was scarred. Several children, now homeless were helped along by elderly women who seemed too ill to walk much less help people. The flora and fauna seemed to be all withering and even produce that had survived the hurricane of demonic attacks were shrivelling at an astounding rate. Most people wore a tired and unhappy expression as Sister Naru's expression set into a grim line.

"This is bad," she said, gazing around the village. "Why didn't they call us sooner?"

Kakashi knelt down by the nearby claw marks and ran a finger through the soil. Bringing a pinch to his nose, he sniffed cautiously and said, "Blood and the scent of water. There's also traces of some element that I can't exactly place."

"That'll be miasma," said Naru as she checked her firearm and loaded a clip into the weapon. "I'm surprised you can smell it, Kakashi."

"What's miasma?" asked Shun curiously and surprisingly, it was Sasuke who gave an answer.

"The remnants of a demon's attack," said Sasuke, his voice low as if raising it would prompt a sudden ambush. "When a demon attacks, anything left over is called miasma, sort of an expended power. The site where the Kyuubi no Youma was fought is still riddled with thick miasma that has caused the entire area to remain withered to this date twelve years later."

"A textbook definition but correct," said Naru, nodding. "Miasma is actually the traces of the demon left over when they attack. A demon itself is made up of thousands of creatures known as Legion and they generate miasma which is sort of their lifeblood. The Legion replenish the miasma as they absorb the hate, anger and all of those fun dark emotions and turn it into power. Sometimes a demon is strong enough to even influence the world around it, creating a venerable fog of miasma that it can use to influence strong emotions in humanity and animals. A demon with horns can also tap into the Astral Line; the source of souls in this world and use it to power itself rather than getting a free, if time costly meal down here."

"So you mean if we fight it and get mad at it..." said Sakura and Kakashi nodded as with Naru.

"Yeah, we're their full meal buffet with leftovers to spare," said Kakashi. "So the best thing to do is not to get mad; keep a level head or if all else fails and they're a particularly weak demon, make fun of it. Tell jokes, laugh and be a complete ninny. If that fails, retreat or use a particularly explosive jutsu to mark your location and possibly slow it down."

"Kakashi-sensei," said Shun, "it sounds to me like you've fought a demon once before - de gozaru."

"Aaah," said Kakashi, nodding. "Twice. Once when accompanying Father Remington and Naru to a site where a group of construction workers disturbed an old tomb. The other..."

At Kakashi's sudden silence and his imminent brooding, Jiraiya nodded and said, "Let's get a move on. The sooner we deal with this kappa gone berserk, the sooner we can go and find Tsunade."

"We?" chorused Shun and Sakura. Sasuke's eyebrows shot up but he tried to keep his expression placid.

"Yes 'we'," said Jiraiya as he nodded to Naru. "Naru's just a brat, no matter how old she looks and she needs our help."

"I'll get you later for the brat comment but yes, I need the help," grumbled Naru. "Some things to know though; a demon cannot be harmed very easily. You have to hit it with spiritual force which usually boils down to chakra techniques. If you don't know any major offensive ones; run like hell until you find Kakashi, me or Ero-sennin. A kappa is a water-demon but since it's been corrupted by an eastern demon who typically has no elemental affinity, I doubt fire'll make a difference but if you do get a clear shot, take it. Oh, and keep moving. No one likes an idiot who stands around after torching a good portion of the forest and then gets cut down by said demon who survived."

Naru tabbed the side panel of a large wooden carrying case and it sprung open, startling the Genin in range. Hefting a pistol and looking at it critically, she handed it to Sakura. "Here, you look like you have a steady hand."

Sakura weighed the unfamiliar weapon in her hands and held it up. "What's this?"

"A gun," said Naru as she quickly ran Sakura through working it, allowing the girl to try a single round at a tree. A white cross blossomed across the bark, leaving a gouge from the explosive power and Sakura looking a little white but otherwise steady. "While I hate sending people out alone, it's best if they're armed too. Some things to remember is that you have to keep the safety off when you fire, turn it back on when you run like hell and NEVER EVER point it at someone. A bullet will travel in a straight line and at a rate faster than I'm certain people are unaccustomed to, so be careful. I'm putting Ero-sennin on your team as well as Shun. Kakashi, you and Sasuke are with me. Ero-sennin is well-accustomed to gun management so he'll be there to make certain you don't shoot anyone that doesn't need to be shot."

Reaching into the wooden carrying case once more, she handed Jiraiya the large lethal looking weapon with the rounded stock and said, "Don't go nuts, Ero-sennin or Elder'll have your ass. You have a hundred rounds so use them sparingly." And then she handed Shun a bottle of clear water. "Holy water," said Naru to Shun. "It'll burn anything demony so use it with digression."

Turning to Kakashi and Sasuke, she eyed the pair critically before saying, "Sasuke, you have an important job here."

Sasuke blinked as she handed him five cross-like devices. "What's this?" he asked.

"Angels, a principal cross barrier," said Naru and Sasuke made a face. "Don't be like that idiot. A cross barrier'll pin down the demon if it tries to eat one of you and trust me you do NOT want to try these things at hand to hand combat. Jounin and ANBU have lost whole arms and legs blocking a SINGLE STRIKE. The idea is to place all five pieces in the form of a cross either on the ground or what not. I've seen you do that neat kunai thing when we were younger so I know you can dig them into the demon if you need to."

Sasuke nodded, his full intensity back in force. Inwardly, he was feeling warm that Naru had acknowledged the work he did so long ago even when his family did not.

"Kakashi," said Naru, eyeing him, "You're the worst shot I've ever seen in my life and that says something for people who haven't even picked up a gun before."

"Maa," said Kakashi, his eye upturning into a U of embarrassment. "Is it my fault I'm not used to recoil weaponry?"

"Heh," said Naru as she dug out a last little bit of technology, a long tube that was roughly half his height. A blue rim of what appeared to be energy ran along the barrel and it hummed as she hefted it and then tossed it at Kakashi. "That's why I'm giving you the weapon that won't matter if you miss or not."

Kakashi stumbled under the weight of the device she thumped into his hands and his eye went wide in disbelief. "You're giving me THIS?!" he exclaimed as he adjusted to the weight. It was a rare chance to see Sharingan no Kakashi look utterly aghast at anything. "Isn't this one of those weapons you people used against the Kyuubi?!"

"Yeah, it's the Testament," said Naru, grinning. Sakura nearly fell over at the implications of such a legendary weapon and both Sasuke and Shun's expressions could rival open barn doors. Jiraiya made a face that summed up to I hope he can fire STRAIGHT and made a show of palming his face. "I snuck it out of the armoury before heading out. I'm sure Sister Kate'll yell at me later on but as it stands, I figured we might need it."

"Testament?" echoed Shun as they gazed on the huge tube that blinked with a light here and there.

"A weapon that fires a huge bullet filled with holy oil packed into a shell that is inscribed with spells around the rim of the bullet. Similar to the Sacreds and as easy to produce, a Testament is usually used only against a slow-moving enemy or one that is really big," said Jiraiya, amused at the sight of Kakashi shouldering such a clumsy weapon and filled with trepidation at Kakashi missing the shot. "Mind you, once Kakashi uses it up, we're looking at a LOT of property damage. Word of advice; don't be in the blast radius when he does."

"Yeah, Father Remington always referred to it as the Scriptures of Doom but that's what you get from a guy who likes to use the Blessing of St. Ignatius all the time," grinned Naru. "But then again he's got a quirky sense of humour. Okay people, grab a headset and head out. Report every fifteen minutes and if you do run into the demon early, let us know or scream on all channels. We'll come running."

As the group parted, Kakashi glanced over to Naru and asked, "Curious; what IS the Blessing of St. Ignatius?"

"Some kind of funky seventy-hit combo that is done by blessing someone and simultaneously beating the tar out of them," said Naru blithely, causing both Kakashi and Sasuke to simultaneously loose their footing out of shock.

* * *

Sasuke weighed the cross barrier in his hands. Similar to the weight of a set of kunai, he flipped one around in his hands and found it to be perfectly balanced. Behind them trod Kakashi bearing the enormous metal tube and Sister Naru took point.

Sister Naru was an oddity in Uchiha Sasuke's life since he was little. The little girl had been into everything and had seen more than he had ever seen before the end of the Uchiha Clan and Itachi's subsequent insane rampage. She was the first one to treat him like a normal human being rather than the last of the Uchiha or some type of genius. With sharp tongue and quick wit, she was someone who Sasuke enjoyed sparring with on a mental scale and occasionally physically as well. What surprised him was how she could change her focus at the drop of a hat.

Sister Naru could act very mature, like a seasoned Jounin for that matter as she made her way through the woods in the back towards the kappa's lair. She paused and checked a few marks on the ground that Sasuke otherwise missed. Shifting the weight of her gun to the other hand, she checked it and said, "Fresh. It was out here recently."

Keying in her headset, Naru said, "Report."

"_We've got tracks on the other side of the lake_," reported the voice of Shun over all channels and Sasuke marvelled at the clear reception. "_No visual contact with the lake yet but Jiraiya-dono says we're close_."

"If you see it, do not engage, repeat, do not engage," said Naru. "Monitor the status of the lake before doing anything and report anything out of the ordinary."

"_Roger_," replied Shun. "_What happens if we DO encounter said demon_?"

"Um..." said Naru, thinking for a moment before giving a reply. "Make a lot of noise."

The connection cut, Naru turned towards Kakashi and Sasuke and said, "Looks like the demon's been out and about as of late."

"Indeed," said Kakashi, hefting the bulk of Testament over his shoulder. "Are we prepared?"

"As ready as we'll ever be," replied Naru. She then turned to Sasuke and said, "I don't want you getting into anything unnecessary, got it? First sign of mortal peril and I want you backing off and let the experts handle themselves. Oh, and no close combat; we're shooting this thing till it falls down dead."

Suddenly, the radio crackled to life once more as a exclamation of "_It's here_!" was snapped off. Gunshots followed and crosses bloomed out from round explosions as a flying demon arched out of the other side of the lake and with unnerving speed, sped directly for Naru.

"Get down!" shouted Sasuke and Naru barely had a moment to protest as he positioned himself between the enemy and her.


End file.
